The Human/Elf War
"When Man and Elf clashed for control of all lands, the world was brought to its knees, and for a time afterward, no one ruled the world but the death and devastation that followed. I am, perhaps, the only person alive today who has seen it." ---Rei'lain, the Elven Time Mage The Human/Elf War was a conflict long ago, far before any surviving historical text recounts in completely accurate detail. Much of it is steeped in legend and common myth, and many conflicting sources exist, but a general timeline of events can be gathered from studying the history of the world. The war was between the ancient humans in their recently-colonized home of the the Midlands and the xenophobic elves who had long before the arrival of humans exiled themselves to the moon. Though involved with the conflict in small amounts, the orcs and the dwarves were purely outside factions that occasionally involved themselves in the war, but on the whole kept to themselves. Prelude After the time of the Dragons, the elves were the first race to rule what became the Midlands and all regions surrounding it. Subjugating the dwarves and the orcs, they wielded magic far more powerful than any force could rival. For a time, the elves remained upon the earth, before discovering the mastery of the Moon Gates which allowed them to travel to what would become their permanent lunar home, leaving the orcs and dwarves behind to fight amongst themselves. And fight they did, for quite some time, with neither force able to conquer the other. This stalemate was the state that the first human colonists from the Old Continent found them in. By selling weapons and technology to both forces, thus fueling their conflict, they were softened up for the arrival of the human armies, who quickly took over all of the Midlands with their advanced firearms and mechanical constructs. With the orcs and dwarves scattered and forced into retreat, the humans had nothing to oppose their new empire. For an unknown time, this empire grew in peace. Until the elves returned. Beginning of War The elves struck out from the moon, raining down spells of fire, lightning and ice upon the land, taking the humans by surprise. From the Moon Gates they marched in large numbers, with great armies of wizards, warlocks and sorcerers burning and pillaging human settlements. The elven attack was orchestrated by their new leader, the empress of the elves, who had taken control of her people through unknown magic and wanted to control the entirety of the world below. What the elves did not expect was the resiliency of their human foes. Having only dealt with minor threats in the past, the elves weren't prepared for the effective and tactical counterattack the humans mounted against them. The humans, themselves a culture trained for war, fought using tactics and technology the elves could not immediately counter. What the elves assumed would be a short campaign turned into a long, lengthy conflict, with just as many losses as victories. The Long Conflict It soon became a war representing technology against magic. Though the elves had long ago mastered the arcane, humans had a natural talent for invention. Their machines and devices proved effective against the elves, who were forced to adopt unconventional means of attack. Strategies on both sides were tested again and again, with neither side being able to truly come out on top. It is not known how long the conflict lasted, but it is said that it was a war that spanned generational gaps as both civilizations tried to destroy the other. The war is said to have left scars upon the world in more ways than one. The humans were motivated to defeat this foe and put everything they had into the war effort. Dedicated down to the last man, woman and child, they fought the elves tooth and nail for every square inch of ground, making them pay for everything they took. It is written that a major turning point in the war was the human invention of their greatest machines, the Juggernauts. These machines were the ultimate weapon against the elves: devastating, brutal and merciless. These technological titans swept through elven ranks like a hot knife through butter. The Juggernauts forced the elves into retreat, sending them back to the moon. Elven negotiators met with humans lords over terms of peace, and a treaty was drawn up, making many humans believe they had won and the war was over. But the Dark Witch had other plans. Exploiting a loophole in the contract they signed, the elves rained spells down upon the human empire from space. Their orbital bombardment caused many human deaths and widespread destruction, scattering the armies of man and exposing their vulnerabilities. The elves saw that the capital was weakened and immediately moved against it with all of their armies. The End and the Cataclysm The elven armies marched against the human capital in what was described as an "apocalyptic battle" between the two massive forces. The humans fought bravely, but this final attack was led by the Dark Witch herself, who was said to have been able to kill an entire score of men with but a wave of her hand. The elven victory was almost assured; it is said that the empress stood at the entrance to the city before her sudden defeat. Her death came not at the hands of a human lord, or noble or even a juggernaut, but at the hands of a single, nameless soldier. This one man, wielding but only a legendary sword, stepped forward to oppose the cruel queen. He cut through waves of elven soldiers and colossi before confronting her himself. She cast upon him her most powerful spell, which he deflected with his sword. In one swift move, he pierced her heart with the blade, sealing her doom and freeing the elves from her control. But she was not yet done. Conjuring all of her malice and hatred into one final, ultimate dark spell, she declared that even in death she would not let the humans nor the elves have the world she fought so long to control. This spell ushered in what was known as the Cataclysm, the Great Black Fog, which started at the site of her death and rolled across the entire world, poisoning the lands, killing animals and people alike, rotting fortresses and cities in a terrible wave of necrotic energy. The Old Continent was laid to waste, and all remnants of the ancient human empire were wiped away. The world was laid to waste by the Cataclysm, and only through great fortune or mercy from the gods did any living things survive. With every major empire on the planet eradicated, the black fog of her spell spiraled upwards into the sky, washing over the moon as punishment for the elves' failure. It then solidified, forming a chain that linked the moon to the ground below, an anchor for all time to ensure that the elves would remain linked to the world forever. All surviving elves were chased by the surviving humans to the base of the chain and forced to retreat to their lunar home, from which they have only very rarely ever left since. Fallout The world was left broken, desolate and poisoned, but not all was lost. In the ten thousand years since the Cataclysm, both humanity and the elves have managed to recolonize their homes and rebuild a semblance of their lost empires. The orcs and the dwarves, along with numerous other races, survived in various ways. The Cataclysm changed everything, however. No longer was there a single grand, unified human empire, but now a series of smaller tribes that evolved into kingdoms. Much of their ancient technology was lost, along with powerful relics from the elves, some of which still lays undiscovered. The Old Continent never healed, and is just as barren and lifeless today as it once was. However, the regions surrounding the Midlands survived thanks to one entity alone: the Great Skill Tree, the massive tree that resides at the heart of the Great Forest. It is said to have been the only tree that survived the Cataclysm, though there is no proof for this. Legend tells that all present vegetation and forests came from the Great Skill Tree and the forest that surrounds it. In the end, the Human/Elf War left scars upon all lands and all races, and is unquestionably the buildup to the most notable moment in history. As for the future, no scholar or wizard can say for certain, but to have another conflict such as the Human/Elf war would be a horrible fate, one from which the world may not recover a second time. Category:Lore Category:Wars